Elderly Person Difficulties
Elderly persons are the storehouse of heritage and experience. The older persons are synonyms of intellect and wisdom.
The number of older persons, over subsequent three decades across the world is projected more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion persons in 2050 and 80% of them will be living in low-and-middle-income countries.”
International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 annually and is a United Nation’s designated day to recognise the contribution of older persons and also to examine the issues faced by them or affect their lives.
We in Kashmir have number of old persons facing problems some deserted by there children and some having children outside in search of livelihood.
As a matter of fact, United Nations General Assembly designated 1 October as the International Day of the Older Persons (resolution 45/106) on 14 December 1990. The initiatives were taken via the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing that was adopted by the World Assembly on Ageing in 1982 and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly.
The General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons in 1991. The Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002 adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. It was done to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and also to promote the development of a society for all ages.
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Some facts
In recent decades, the composition of the world population has changed dramatically. Between 1950 to 2010, life expectancy across the world rose from 46 to 68 years. There were around 703 million persons aged 65 or over in 2019 across the world. The region of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia was home to the largest number of older persons (261 million), followed by Europe and Northern America (over 200 million).
The number of older persons worldwide is projected to more than double over the next three decades. It will reach more than 1.5 billion persons in 2050. Between 2019 and 2050, all regions will see an increase in the size of the older population.
In Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, the largest increase of around 312 million is projected to occur, growing from 261 million in 2019 to 573 million in 2050.
In Northern Africa and Western Asia, the fastest increase in the number of older persons is expected to rise from 29 million in 2019 to 96 million in 2050 that is an increase of 226 percent.
The second-fastest increase is projected for sub-Saharan Africa. Here, the population aged 65 or over could grow from 32 million in 2019 to 101 million in 2050 that is 218 percent.
In 2050, the development groups that are less developed countries excluding the least developed countries will be home to more than two-thirds of the world’s older population around 1.1 billion as per the UN.
In the least developed countries, the fastest increase is projected to take place where the number of persons aged 65 or over could rise from 37 million in 2019 to 120 million in 2050 that is 225 percent.
We too in Kashmir have lot of old people and many of them face difficulty.
